Head of Counter Fraud

About Government Internal Audit Agency
We are an executive agency of His Majesty’s Treasury (HM Treasury), established in April 2015 to improve the quality of internal audit provided to central government.
Most of the Agency’s people are professionally qualified internal auditors, accountants or investigators.
Many are also specialists in areas including counter fraud, project management, digital and commercial audit.
We lead both the Government Internal Audit Profession and the Government Internal Audit Function.
Our workforce brings with it a unique depth of experience gained in a wide range of government departments, related bodies and other sectors.
This enables us to offer a high-quality service based on cross-government insight and a strong understanding of our customers’ business.
In GIAA, we aim to be a great place to work and to ensure that we have the capability and capacity to make even more of a significant contribution to achieving A Brilliant Civil Service over the coming years.
Our initial focus was on becoming “a single audit practice”. We are now focused on taking GIAA to the next level so we can provide better insights and better outcomes for government., This is an exciting opportunity to join GIAA’s multi-award-winning Counter Fraud and Investigation team. Since 2016, the team has delivered counter fraud services to over 120 separate Government Departments, Agencies and Arm’s Length Bodies and offers an unparalleled opportunity to work collaboratively across Government to combat fraud and protect public funds.
The team provides a high quality, independent specialist counter fraud service, aligned to the Government Counter Fraud Function, Profession and associated standards. To achieve this, our service offering includes civil and criminal investigations; support with fraud risk assessments; whistleblowing/speak up; Government GovS013 Functional Standard; and other tailored counter fraud support.
The Head of Counter Fraud role is a critical leadership position, directly reporting to the Deputy Director. This role is paramount in ensuring effective performance and delivery of comprehensive counter fraud services to over 120 customers throughout the UK.
The successful candidate will oversee all aspects of counter fraud activities, ensuring services are delivered in accordance with, and aligned to quality, timing, and budgetary plans. A significant aspect of this role involves managing income streams effectively to support GIAA’s status as a self-funded Agency.
This position is crucial not only in the operational delivery of Counter Fraud services but also in driving business growth and fostering the advancement of the Government Counter Fraud Profession.
Head of Counter Fraud responsibilities:
+ Lead counter fraud operations in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, efficiently utilising resources to produce robust, objective conclusions that withstand scrutiny.
+ Demonstrate strong commercial and financial awareness by effectively managing income streams and ensuring counter fraud services offer value for money.
+ Have a proven track record of forward planning, ensuring both people and financial resources are sufficiently aligned to support operational demands.
+ Provide clear, concise, and high-quality briefings to the Deputy Director and senior leaders on complex issues, while also offering expert advice on sensitive subjects.
+ Proactively build and maintain a broad network of stakeholders, fostering collaborative relationships that benefit mutual goals with clearly defined objectives.
+ Lead and champion professional development within the team, promoting the continuous growth of functional expertise and embedding the principles of a developing professional function.
+ Exemplify GIAA values and leadership behaviours, providing visible leadership to a geographically dispersed team, recognising and rewarding performance, promoting personal and professional development, and managing talent effectively.
+ Drive continuous improvement in counter fraud policies and procedures, ensuring they meet and influence best practice across the government.
+ Support the Deputy Director for Counter Fraud and Investigation with corporate activities and represent GIAA in senior counter fraud roles across government, including key forums like the Government Counter Fraud Professional Board.
+ Provide technical quality assurance over responses to external data queries, including Freedom of Information Act responses and Parliamentary Questions, ensuring sensitivity and accuracy., As part of our pre-employment security checks, if you are invited to interview and are not a current GIAA member of staff, you will need to bring:
Proof of identity, e.g. your passport or driver’s licence. Documents must be in date and valid.
+ Proof of identity, e.g. your passport or driver’s license. Documents must be in date and valid.
+ Proof of address, e.g. a utility bill or bank statement issued within the past 3 months
+ Proof of your National Insurance (NI) number, e.g. letter from DWP confirming your NI number, or P60
+ If you do not bring a UK or EU passport, you will need to bring other documentation of your right to work in the UK, e.g. your visa, biometric residence permit or birth certificate.
Further details regarding acceptable documents will be provided in the invitation to interview.
Please let us know if your contact details change at any time during the selection process.
Eligibility Statement
Individuals appointed to the Treasury Group will be subject to National Security Vetting. To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out applicants will normally need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. A lack of UK residency in itself is not always a bar to security clearance but the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case by case basis using all information that can be obtained following a successful application.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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+ Extensive knowledge and experience in delivering Counter Fraud services that enhance performance and ensure value for money.
+ Expertise in managing budgets effectively, with an emphasis on maximising income generation and promoting business growth, ensuring that counter fraud initiatives are cost-effective and economically efficient.
+ Proven competence in ensuring all counter fraud activities adhere to stringent quality standards and comply with government regulations and industry best practice.
+ Skilled in effective management of people deployment, balancing priorities and demands to achieve the best performance and results.
+ Ability to comprehend and advise senior leaders on complex and sensitive fraud-related issues, considering the broader policy and political landscape.
+ Proficiency in providing clear, concise, and high-quality briefings to the Deputy Director and senior leaders on intricate issues, along with expert advice on sensitive matters., The successful applicant must either hold or be in the process of obtaining an Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (ACFS) or Accredited Counter Fraud Manager (ACFM) qualification, or equivalent. Additionally, they must have extensive experience of managing a counter fraud or investigations team.

Alongside your salary of £67,173, Government Internal Audit Agency contributes £18,136 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ Competitive salaries and in-year rewards
+ Flexible working
+ A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
+ Discount on big brands
+ Volunteering days
+ Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Schemes
+ Free eyesight tests
+ Family-friendly HR policies
+ 25 days’ annual leave increasing by one day per year of service to 30 days after 5 years’ service
+ Geographically based Agency